Depending on context, the number 20,000 could be considered very large or pocket change.


For PetFix Northeast Ohio, it marks a significant feat as it is the number of surgeries performed by PetFix mobile spay/neuter clinic since it hit the road in 2006.

“On Saturday, August 6, Dorothy Culp of Bainbridge (Township) and her daughter, Danielle, pulled into Joe’s Window Shop in Burton and registered their beautiful black cat, Sammy, for surgery, earning her the distinction of the 20,000th pet to be altered by PetFix surgeons,” according to PetFix.

The clinic was sponsored by PetFix Partner Geauga Humane Society as part of their “Fix it in the Farmland” series which brings the PetFix team into the core of Amish country to perform low-cost surgeries for those who cannot afford full fees or transport their pets to private veterinary clinics, the company said.

The 20,000 surgeries prevented the births of 200,000 unwanted puppies and kittens, said PetFix President Timy Sullivan.

“That doesn’t include the thousands and thousands of puppies and kittens those cats and dogs would have produced if allowed to breed throughout their lives,” she said in a statement.

Four to five days a week, the PetFix team, consisting of a licensed veterinarian, registered veterinary technician, and driver/assistant, heads out to a Partner location where they alter anywhere from 17 dogs to 35 cats for low-income owners, feral cat caregivers, and agencies placing cats and dogs for adoption.

In Culp’s case, the family inherited two barn cats when they moved to their Bainbridge farm, Culp said, adding she was happy to care for the cats but dismayed when soon after, one had a litter of four and the other produced a litter of nine.

“Before I knew it, I had 15 cats,” she said, adding the Geauga Humane Society and PetFix then had them altered.

“I had everything under control until Sammy showed up,” she said, referring to the cat that came onto her property and had a litter of three.

All three are scheduled for an upcoming PetFix clinic.

Surgery fees range from $30 for a cat neuter to $70 for a large dog spay. All animals not previously inoculated receive a $6 rabies shot and free-roaming cats receive basic vaccines for $4. The fees cover only about 60% of the costs associated with providing the service and PetFix raises the difference through grants, individual donations and fundraising events.

The organization’s largest fundraising event is coming up on Saturday, October 15 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for “Fix, Rattle & Roll,” PetFix said, adding it includes food, exhibit tours, dancing and an auction.

“Our goal is simply to create a region in which every cat and dog born has a loving home by reducing the number of animals born to a number we can care for,” Sullivan said. “And with the support of our generous donors and the cooperation of our dedicated partners, we are getting closer every day.”

For more information about PetFix, go to www.petfixnortheastohio.org

-- Cassandra Shofar
CShofar@News-Herald.com